Painting a T-34/85

[dubster72]

Not strictly 'under construction' as the kit is built but I thought I'd share my progress about painting the model as this might interest some people (I hope!). I did start it off as a blog but that seemed a bit strange to me, so I'll go for a traditional thread!

Here are some pics of the almost complete kit.

Being a Dragon kit, the detail is excellent, the fit of parts rather vague at times & the instructions are written by a blind,feeble-minded idiot who's never assembled a model in his life! Having said that, it only took about 10 days off & on to get here. The photo-etch was a challenge & I've not used all of it because it became too much after a while!

Next is the primer stage which I always do for Dragon models-their plastic seems to need this so that the paint 'grips' the surface.

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[Backbreaker]

:thumbs-up I'm interested.

BB.

 

[Dograt]

Me to !

 

[dubster72]

Thanks for your interest chaps! Ok got some primer on it now, wow that stuff smells so strong-actually it's kinda nice but don't tell everyone! I'm not sure how long to leave it for as all the instructions are in Japanese but as it's enamel-based (I think) I'll leave it until tomorrow before adding more paint.

The next stage is to apply a basecoat of Nato Green, which is nearly black. Stay tuned!

Patrick

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[Fenlander]

Great idea as it is the painting that often get skipped in favour of the building. I will also be watching and learning. Love the 'cast' texture on the turret, very nice.

 

[dubster72]

To be honest Graham, the detail on these kits are the only reason that I bother buying Dragon stuff. Compared to Tamiya they are way behind on quality. A blend of the two would be ideal! Having said that, one good thing about Russian armour is that they were rough n ready when they left the factory, much less after being in combat!

Patrick

 

[Centurion3RTR]

Nice one Patrick, i've been dying to use Tamiya acrylic paint and now someone can show us how.

John

 

[Richy C]

Looks well nice Patrick , is the T34 going to be a part of a dio ?

Richy

 

[dubster72]

I hope I can do a decent job! Yeah Richy, I'm planning a Berlin 1945 dio with the T-34 being stalked through the rubble by a German panzerfaust team. Patrick

 

[Richy C]

Sounds good Patrick , keep us up to date , we love a build in progress.

Richy

 

[dubster72]

Managed to get a little more done last night, put on the Nato Black, which will be followed by a light coat of Dark Green. Apologies for the poor picture quality but it was dark by then-the paint looks much more black in real life!

The idea of using a very dark base is that when the lighter coats go on over this, a very small & suble effect is created around creases & crevices where the dark colour comes through. This assists the washes that will come later.

More experienced modellers often 'post-shade' their models, ie spray on very fine lines to accentuate panel lines etc but that's beyond my skill level just now!

Patrick

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[dubster72]

Just a couple more pics, this time of the light coat of dark green. This is to provide a 'proper' basecoat (as the black one was really for scale purposes, not actual colouring).

I've tried to avoid the cracks & crevices with some success although that's not too well represented in the pics. The next stage will be adding some Olive Drab, which is not technically a 'Russian' colour, but useful to represent tired & faded green which would be consistant for an AFV at the end of a long, vicious campaign such as the Battle for Berlin.

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Here is the OD added, you should be able to see the shadowy areas where the darker coats have remained, giving it some definition even before the washes are applied.

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The next stage will be to add some dark yellow to the OD and then apply this to flat areas such as the glacis plate, hull sides, rear hull & turret surfaces to provide a worn look.

Keep watching if you're not already bored!

Patrick

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[Fenlander]

Not bored at all, this is great. I would never have thought of a black base coat prior to lightly building the final colour, very effective in stopping a slab of green which is what I would have got. Learning all the time, many thanks for teaching lol

 

[Backbreaker]

Lookin great Patrick. The depth of colour is starting to bring life to the 34.

BB

 

[dubster72]

Managed to do a little more last night. I added a bit of Tamiya dark yellow to the mix of Olive Green to lighten it & then applied this in the middle of areas like the glacis & hull sides, turret etc. I think it turned out pretty well, showing quite a lot of depth & shadows as well as giving a worn look to the tank as a whole.

The wheels are painted & only need a little weathering before being attached, along with the tracks (once I've sanded each of the 150 or so links to remove ejection-pin marks!).

I feel that the painting is done now. The next stage will be to apply a couple of coats of Klear before applying the decals & starting everyone's favourite bit- the weathering!!!

Patrick

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[Richy C]

Thats looking the nuts Patrick , nice one.

Richy

 

[yak face]

patrick ,this is superb ! you seem to have got the hang of the airbrush really quickly, the faded effect is brilliant. Its that good a paint job it doesnt need too much extra weathering,it already looks the part. cheers tony

 

[dubster72]

Thanks Tony, I'm sure that I've still got a long way to go yet but I really enjoy using the AB. I only wish it wasn't winter with these short days & little natural light.

 

[spanner570]

Nice one Patrick, I've been following this from day one. It is looking the part now, and no mistake.....These squeaky clean tanks look O.K. but you can't beat the real thing!

 

[dubster72]

Cheers Ron, I'm learning new stuff as it goes on & enjoying myself, which has to be the most important thing! And if it helps others or gives inspiration, then so much the better!